Fire for Effect
by paomayo
Summary: After a malfunction on the faster-than-light (FTL) drive of the United Nations Space Alliance's latest ship, they are sent into a dimension where two worlds are under the threat of an unknown foe. The crew of the UNSA Nick Reyes must band together with their new allies in order to protect the balance and figure out a way back home.
1. Chapter 1 - No Fear, No Retreat

_All trademarks, properties and copyrights associated with the manufacturers, models, trade names, entertainment and brands depicted in this fanfic are the property of their respective owners. No animals were harmed in the making of this fanfiction._

 **(Geneva - May 8, 1513 hrs.)**

The people were proudly looking at the ships flying overhead as the select few from the United Nations Space Alliance began their formation for the annual Fleet Week, an event celebrating the history of the naval service. As Jackal fighters and Raven dropships continue flying overhead, the star attraction for the show was the new class of space warfare carrier, the _Nick Reyes_ -class SWC.

Named after the Special Combat Air Recon operative and commander of the famed _Admiral_ -class SWC _Retribution_ , the only ship of her class sported improvements different from the previous one. Among them include an increase in width from the _Admiral_ 's 637 meters to the current 677 meters and a height increase to 82 meters, the addition of improve weaponry and defense systems based on stolen designs and research from the now-defeated Settlement Defense Front of Mars, and increased armor plating on all sides. With these, this made the UNSA _Nick Reyes_ almost as formidable as the SDF's supercarrier _Olympus Mons_.

"The UNSA Nick Reyes is the newest ship of her namesake class based on the late SCAR operative and Retribution commander of the same name." An announcer explained the details. "Built at Norfolk, Virginia, the ship features an increase in dimensions for additional troops and eqipment. Fitting to her namesake, it also features improved armaments and defensive systems for better close-range engagement and still come home intact with enough crewmembers to strike back."

Below, at a nearby UNSA base, a new Swiss SCAR operative was among the few being briefed by veteran Captain Nora Salter for their assignment. He sports white hair and eyes as green as emerald.

"If there are no questions, I shall continue." The captain began the briefing as the screen revealed the map of Geneva and its surroundings. "We'll be performing a combat air patrol within 10 klicks of the Reyes as precaution." Icons representing the ships appeared shortly after. "Although it has been a few years since the SDF's failed attack on Earth, we still have to be on guard. Your Jackals will have a full payload to respond to any hostilities. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" The operatives responded dutifully.

"Troyard. Kaizuka."

"Ma'am!" The operatives responded simultaneously.

"You two will be flying under my wing. I've read your reports and you both showed some promising results during your training."

"Thank you so much, ma'am." The young Japanese with the last name Kaizuka uttered with honor. "It's an honor to fly alongside you."

"I will take this opportunity as well." Troyard followed albeit more formally.

"Good. Suit up and head for your crafts. Time to roll out."

At the busy flight apron, the Jackals were under final inspection by technicians while the whinning sound of engines, APUs and generators filled the air. Kaizuka was inspecting his aircraft before Troyard came while holding his helmet at the right side.

"How's your Jackal doing?" The man asked.

"The technicians said that everything is good." Kaizuka responded with a nod. "Well, we shouldn't be letting down the major, should we?"

"Nah. If we impress her with our good performance record, I'm sure she would be assigning us to her unit in little time at all."

"And maybe we could get some drinks after this stint, eh?" The two then chuckled before evolving it into laughter.

"It's Fleet Week. Sailors and people would be talking with drinks about what they did prior to this." Troyard gave out a candid response. "Besides, you have something else to talk about before we fly to Geneva, do you?"

"Oh right...my older sister Yuki is serving onboard the Reyes." Kaizuka admitted.

"Think I'll get to meet her myself? It would be an honor to see her and you together."

"She'll be meeting me for lunch tomorrow. It's the start of her official leave."

"I see." The two then began to focus on their duties. "Well, we better get going."

"Watch your back out there." The Japanese said.

"You too." The other responded before the two exchanged a thumbs-up as a sign of their ironclad alliance.

As Troyard left to pilot his Jackal, Kaizuka pressed a few switches to power-up his aircraft and the canopy closed. One of the ground crew stood well-ahead of his Jackal to help guide him during take-off procedures.

"This is Raider 1-3, all systems are good. Standing by for take-off clearance, over." Kaizuka radioed air traffic control.

"Raider 1-3, roger. Continue to hold position and stand-by for further updates. Traffic is heavy, how copy?" The control tower responded.

"Roger, Raider 1-3 will hold position. Out."

The aircraft that were causing the delay began to slowly clear the operatives' way. Once the last of the assigned Ravens left, the control tower began to radio the Raider Team.

"Raider 1-1, Raider 1-2, Raider 1-3, you have permission for take-off. Winds are zero-four-seven degrees at two knots. How copy?"

"This is Raider 1-1, aknowledged." Salter responded.

"Raider 1-2, roger." Troyard followed.

"Raider 1-3, copy that." Kaizuka finished. "Out."

The ground crew began to guide the Jackals as they lift off from the ground. Once at a sufficient altitude, the landing gears were retracted as the aircraft began to fly off for the city for their combat air patrol.

 **(1548 hrs.)**

Salter, Troyard and Kaizuka were flying in close formation as the three were on approach to Geneva. Within their sights, the ships were slowly flying over the area.

"UNSA airships spotted, 10 klicks away at bearing 271 to 289." Troyard said.

"Rog. Everyone, proceed to waypoint Charlie." Salter ordered. "We'll start our CAP."

"Copy that, One-One." Kaizuka responded.

The three Jackals turned right to their current waypoint. As the flight continued, Kaizuka was curious about his commanding officer.

"So, ma'am... How long have you been serving SCAR?"

"I've been in that unit for a while, Lieutenant." She answered. "During those years, I've seen many shit and chaos before my eyes."

"Like the SDF invasion?"

"Yes. As well, I was with Commander Reyes at that time serving as XO for the Retribution when we began our counterattack on SetDef."

"I'm surprised that you were serving Commander Reyes during that time."

"Indeed. We have each other's back as we fought off those guys until we went to Mars."

"I've heard and read what you and Reyes did back there ma'am." Troyard joined in. "You've stormed through their defenses and managed to destroy their shipyard at the cost of the Captain and many others before him."

"So you knew."

"Correct. Among the 767 surviving crewmembers of the Retribution, only you and three others got home alive."

"Excatly. To Reyes, he knew the job has to be done."

"I know, ma'am."

The Jackals then turned left to the next waypoint while staying together.

 **(Onboard the UNSA** _ **Nick Reyes**_ **\- 1550 hrs.)**

In the bridge of the state-of-the-art warship, the Latino captain of the ship Jose Ackerman of the United States was viewing the scene outside the ship. Seeing action sometime before the SDF invasion, his slightly greyed-out hair and extensive combat experience were testaments to that.

The door at the back opened to reveal a female Japanese officer. She walked forward for a few meters before stopping to salute.

"Sir, Warrant Officer Kaizuka reporting." She uttered.

"Carry on, Kaizuka." Ackerman responded and the officer lowered her right hand. She then walked towards the captains side. "Are there any updates from engineering regarding the Well Deck?"

"Yes sir." Kaizuka then gave Ackerman her tablet to show the captain the update. "Engineering has managed to fix the Well Deck ramp. It should be able to function normally once the parade ends."

"Good news. Thank you for telling me."

"Affirmative, Captain. By the way, requesting permission to stay here to see the festivities."

"Affirmative." Ackerman responded. "Take your time looking at the view. You deserve some rest."

"Thank you, sir."

The men in charge of monitoring air traffic detected three friendly blips on the screen. Due to the current state of events, they promptly proceeded to contact them.

"This is Raider One-One, we are approaching the flight path of the Reyes." Salter radioed them.

"This is the Reyes, we read you." One of the communications team responded. "Maintain current course and speed. How copy, over."

"Aknowledged. Out."

Kaizuka went to the left side of the bridge to see the Jackals flying by in a tight V-formation. Ackerman then took notice of the officer.

"You okay there, Kaizuka?" He asked.

"I'm fine, sir." She replied. "My brother's currently on duty so that's no problem at all."

"Okay then. By the way, what branch does he serve?"

"SCARs. He was just recently assigned."

"Oohhh...you know, if he were to be assigned to our ship, you would feel relaxed and calm that your brother is much closer to you than you think."

"Based on experience?" Kaizuka asked.

"Yes, mostly based on that. I have a couple of friends plus a younger brother who were there in my times of need, even if they weren't related to wars."

"I could be _your_ officer when you need help, Captain."

"Thank you Kaizuka. And at least, he has your back...and you have his."

"Indeed, Captain."

 **(Above Earth's orbit - June 10, 0821 hrs.)**

 _"Now for today's Economic news: shares of the Coalescence Corporation has reached 8 percent, a seven-year high following the release of the Microhealth nano-shots to the public on June 3..."_ An IW News newscaster announced as the headline was displayed at the bottom of the _Reyes_ ' television screen. Some of the crew, which were permitted their breaks, watched.

"Ya hear that?" One of them asked his colleague. "Coalescence just posted 1 million units sold."

"I know. My dad was looking forward to it ever since he has hemorrhage." The colleague replied.

Outside, the two Jackals of Troyard and Kaizuka were on final approach.

"This Raider 1-2, SCARs are on approach." The former radioed the bridge.

"Roger, SCARs. Drone assistance is ready when you are." The tower gave the go-ahead as the two drones were deployed to assist in their landing.

"1-3, aknowledged." Kaizuka followed.

The drones attached to the Jackals as they slowed down to land. Once they touched down, the drones' thrusters were deployed to act as brakes for the fighters in the vast emptiness of space. When the Jackals came to a complete stop, the drones stopped their thrusters and began to be collected by the ship's arms. The fighters also felt the same way as they are being transferred to the hangar.

When the Jackals reached the hangar, they were attached by the access platforms to allow them to get outside their fighters.

"Welcome to the UNSA Nick Reyes, SCARs." One of the hangar personnel greeted.

"You too, sir." Kaizuka responded. "How's my sister?"

"What's your name, son?"

"Second Lieutenant Inaho Kaizuka. My sister Yuki is assigned here, correct?"

"Yes sir, your sister is present."

"Thank you." He nodded.

During that point, Troyard took a bit longer to disembark from his Jackal. A moment after he got out, he nearly tripped which prompted another hangar crewman to break the momentum. As well, Kaizuka took notice.

"Slaine!" He shouted frantically

"You okay, sir?" He asked.

"Yeah...must have slipped my foot by mistake." Troyard responded after catching his breath. He began to stand up properly again. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem, sir. Glad you are okay." Kaizuka then came forward to his colleague.

"What happened?" The Japanese asked worriedly.

"I nearly slipped. That's all."

"Alright. C'mon, let's head for the bridge. The Captain's waiting for us." The two proceeded to head for the elevator that will take them to bridge level. Kaizkuka pressed the button and the lift activated. Upon arrival, it stopped and the safety barriers were opened to allow the operatives entry.

A moment after, someone called the Japanese. "Inaho-chan!"

Kaizuka turned to see his older sister on the left. "Yuki! Glad to see you again."

"Yeah. Captain Salter told me about you coming here."

"We meet again, Kaizuka." The Swiss greeted. "Excuse my interruption."

"Still maintaining your formalities, I see?" She slightly blushed. "Anyway, Salter's at the bridge talking to Captain Ackerman. Follow me." The two were guided to the entrance of the bridge. The officer opened it to reveal it to the operatives. "Captain Salter, First Lieutenant Troyard and Second Lieutenant Kaizuka are present.

"Good you made it, gentlemen." Salter uttered and the other operatives saluted in respect.

"Ma'am, we're ready for our objectives." Kaizuka responded.

She then proceeded to inform Captain Ackerman. "Captain, we have our operatives."

He turned around to see the young men and Yuki to introduce himself to the former. "Gentlemen, welcome aboard the Reyes. I'm the captain of the ship, Jose Ackerman."

"Pleasure to meet you as well, sir." Kaizuka responded while he and Troyard saluted. This made the captain respond back with the same gesture. "I'm Warrant Officer Kaizuka's brother, Second Lieutenant Inaho Kaizuka."

"Ooh, you rank is higher than your sister, eh?"

"Coincidence, sir. I was confirmed to have some promising results after my training."

"And I'm First Lieutenant Slaine Troyard." The Swiss followed. "Same with Kaizuka: promising results."

"Two gifted operatives ready to fight, I see."

"Indeed. I've read their records and they confirmed it." Salter said. "They're top of the class on most fields."

"Major, looks like we better keep those two safe. Who knows what would happen next if they aren't available? Maybe some SetDef remnants might launch another attack on mining operations in the Asteroid Belt." Ackerman thought of a scenario.

"Likely, sir." Troyard chuckled slightly.

Suddenly, the door opened again to reveal a middle-aged officer of Japanese origin. He then walked towards the group in front of the console.

"Well, well, are they the new operatives?" The man greeted.

"Yes Lieutenant Marito, and they are very promising." Salter introduced her subordinates to him.

"Good to meet ya." He began greeting. "The name's Lieutenant Koichiro Marito, good to have your acquaintances."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Kaizuka responded with a salute before shaking hands. "I'm Second Lieutenant Inaho Kaizuka."

"The brother of WO Kaizuka?"

"Indeed, Marito."

The Japanese chuckled "It's also quite ironic considering that you are ranked higher than her." The man teased at his fellow officer's rank.

"Cut it out, Marito." Yuki quietly rebuked. "As long as he is here, he's gonna keep an eye on your ass."

"A'ight, no more teasing." Marito turned his attention to Troyard. "And you are..."

"...First Lieutenant Slaine Troyard." The Swiss operative followed. "I'm honored to meet you."

"Anyway..." Ackerman began to head for the ship's navigator, Lieutenant Mateo "Marlin" Torres. "Marlin, set for drop to Jupiter."

"Aye sir." Marlin responded as Ackerman got hold of his card that will permit the ship to do faster-than-light travel. The latter inserted it and began to brace for the proceedure.

"Collision alarms up." Marito confirmed.

"All personnel, stand-by for drop." Marlin warned the remaining crewmembers within the ship via speaker before starting the sequence. At the same time, the panels ahead of the _Reyes_ ' bridge were being lifted for the activation of the jump systems. Once deployed, Marlin started the countdown as the ship was being engulfed with energy. "Away in three, two, one..."

The ship instantly moved fast as it entered the jump, leaving behind a trail of blue aura as a result. The occupants were slightly pushed back and the console then switched the current hologram of the route-to-destination to the ship's general schematics.

"Evaluation?" Ackerman asked.

"Accuraccy .90. We're in good shape." Marito confirmed confidently.

"Rog. Stand by for-" Suddenly, an alarm was sounded. "What the hell's that?"

"I'll check." Marlin responded and began to inspect the problem. What he found shocked him. "Crap! We have a problem, sir!"

"Is there something wrong?" Salter asked.

"Jump systems has gone haywire! We need to stop it!"

"I'll monitor our trajectory! You go try stopping that damn thing!" Marito uttered.

Alarms were sounded as the crew began to try safely stopping the jump mid-way.

"...recaculating flux and trajectory!" Marlin shouted frantically.

"How's the jump doing?" Salter requested its status.

"We're workin' on it!" A few moments later, he managed to bypass a few wires and protocols. "All personnel, stand by for emergency exit...3, 2, 1!" The ship exited from their jump and the ship was floating in what many would say as the middle of nowhere.

"That's one problem solved...good work everyone." Ackerman praised the actions of the crew. "Flash, get STRATCOM on the line, tell them that we have a faulty FTL drive on hand."

"Yes sir!" The communications officer, a man in his 30s with black, bob cut hair, responded.

"Marito, Marlin, see if you can run a diagnostics check."

"Aye, Cap." Marito followed.

Kaizuka and Troyard felt relieved that they are still alive.

"You okay?" Yuki asked them for any injuries.

"We're fine." Her brother assured him.

"If those crewmembers weren't able to fix it, we would all be dead." Troyard followed. "I'm fine as well."

"Good. You two wait outside with WO Kaizuka. I'll handle things from here with the bridge." Salter requested.

"Yes ma'am." Yuki responded. "Come, let's wait outside." The operatives followed her into the door to await further updates.

"What do you have on the FTL?" Salter asked.

"I don't know." Marlin responded with bewilderment. "We tested that thing many times and we never had any issues until now. It's even well-maintained."

"What about the conditions outside? Magnetic interference?"

"They're all normal before we even did the jump." Marito confirmed.

"Could be a bug." Ackerman thought. "We need technicians on the line immediately."

"Copy that."

As the assessment continued, Flash went to see the ship's captain.

"Sir...we have no communications with STRATCOM." He reported.

"What do you mean?" Ackerman responded with surprise. "You tried laser?"

"Negative...even laser communications, we still don't have contact but..." He began to present to him the screen that showed an unusual anomaly. "We are picking up some unidentified communications. We are running interception to see what they are talking about."

"Affirmative. Keep doing that, I want to make sure we don't run into hostile territory."

"Yes sir."

Outside, Yuki and the operatives waited paitiently for any updates.

"Does an FTL malfunction happen before?" Kaizuka asked curiously. "I mean, a jump like that is quite dangerous."

"A malfunction like that never happened. Besides, scientists are still trying to figure out the effects of such."

"Any probable idea?" Troyard inquired. "There must be something."

"I do have one." She nodded her head. "Ever heard of Star Wars?"

"No, why?"

"It's a classic pop culture icon and if I can recall, there is one scene in which a character by the name of Han Solo mentioned that if the hyperdrive proceedures are messed up or the coordinates are improperly imputted, you might end up close to a star. Hyperdrives work similarly to our FTL drives and, hey, many of our stuff right now are based on pop culture. Dangers, sometimes real."

"I see."

"That reminds me." Kaizuka thought of something. "Recommend we perform CAP around the ship."

"Good idea."

"Yuki, I'll go inside to make a request for CAP."

"Right. Be careful out there, you two." His sister encouraged and the operatives left to see Satler.

The two operatives entered the brigde again to see the captain. "Ma'am, requesting permission to perform CAP within two klicks." Troyard requested.

"Good call, Troyard." Salter agreed. "I'll let the Boss know about this."

"Affirmative."

"That will be appreciated." Marito uttered which caused the SCAR team to look at him. "Marlin and I managed to find the problem."

"What did you find?" Kaizuka asked.

"A bug, as what the Captain thought." Marlin responded. "We'll have it fixed and we should be on our way back to Earth for you guys to transfer to another ship. This girl might need to rest for now."

"Rog." Salter nodded before attending to her subortdinates. "Let's hit the flight deck, gentlemen."

"Affirmative, ma'am."

 **(June 11, 0631 hrs.)**

After overnight repairs were done to allow her to safely return home, the _Reyes_ made the jump back to Earth.

"Influx in 3, 2, 1!" The ship then exited the jump.

"Whew! Thought we would be goners." Marito sighed.

"Yeah." Marlin responded while doing the same thing. "Hey Cap-" His sentence stopped midway when he found something ahead of the window and Marito did the same. "What the hell!?"

The two went beside the captain.

"Marito, Marlin...were the coordinates properly inputted?" Ackerman asked.

"Yeah...why?"

"Then how can you explain _that_?!" The three continued looking at their familiar home. Instead of what they were expecting, the Moon was shown to be reduced to an appearance that looks like a child ate an apple and debris were found circling the Earth in a ring.

Then, Flash came forward with information. "Sir, we are picking up unidentified transmission! Patching it through!"

The transmission was received. "Attention, unidentified ship. This is the Deucalion of the United Forces of Earth, you are approaching restricted space. State your intentions or we will fire upon you!"

The statement shocked everyone within the bridge. "Shit!" Salter uttered. "United Forces of Earth?!"

"Get me SCARs here now! This is not a drill!" Ackerman ordered and began to turn on all speakers to inform his crew. "All hands, this is not a drill! I repeat, this is NOT a drill! Man your battle stations!"

The alarms were sounded as the _Reyes_ was put on high alert. This caused everyone onboard to prepare for the worst.

"What's going on?" Yuki asked while she, Inaho and Troyard stood up.

"Trouble...I don't like this." Her brother uttered.

 _A/N: I admit; I can't help but write this fanfiction with an anime series I instantly though of after watching._


	2. Chapter 2 - Alternate Wars

**(Onboard the UNSA** _ **Nick Reyes**_ **, near Earth's orbit - June 11, 0634 hrs.)**

"What's going on?" Yuki asked under the wailing of the alarm as Troyard and Inaho stood up.

"Trouble...I don't like this." Her brother answered before turning to see his colleague. "Yuki, Slaine, let's head for the bridge." He turned to see his sister again.

"Right." She nodded.

"You got it." Troyard replied before the three began running for the bridge.

As they ran, the speakers began to broadcast another message. "Warrant Officer Kaizuka, Second Lieutenant Kaizuka and First Lieutenant Troyard, proceed to the bridge immediately. I repeat, Warrant officer Kaizuka, Second Lieutenant Kaizuka and First Lieutenant Troyard, proceed to the bridge immediately." The voice of Marito echoed through the hallways as he relayed Captain Ackerman's request for their presence.

Upon arrival, every officer and crew member already went into battle stations. The opening of the doors were muffled by the talking which made Kaizuka say the names of Salter and Ackerman. "Captain Salter, Captain Ackerman." He uttered and the former turned to see them. Yuki, for her part, attended to the latter.

"You're right on cue, gentlemen. Things are about to turn hot." The captain responded.

"Ma'am, what's going on?"

"You might wanna see this." Salter showed the operatives a view of Earth with one key difference: the current state of the Moon. This shocked them.

"Holy crap…!" Kaizuka uttered with his eyes wide-open.

"What the hell?!" Troyard followed. "The Moon…"

"As well, it appears that there is a ship that is about to designate us as hostile."

"What do you mean, "designating us as hostile?" What's STRATCOM even thinking?!" While the scene continued on, Ackerman began to contact the _"Deucalion"_ in an attempt to cease further misunderstandings.

"Testing, testing… This is Captain Jose Ackerman of the United Nations Space Alliance vessel Nick Reyes, to whom I am speaking to?" He began to reply.

"This is Captain Darzana Magbaredge, the commander of the Deucalion." The person on the other side of the line responded with a feminine but serious voice. "We don't know who you are or what organization do you belong, so state your intentions or we will be forced to fire upon you."

"We are returning to Earth for repairs on our FTL drive until we stumbled upon the Moon...or what's left of it. We have no hostile intentions and we request passage through the atmosphere."

"We won't permit that. If you are truly not presenting yourself as hostile, then we will board your ship. I await your reply."

Ackerman, though a bit disappointed, knew that an opportunity has been found. "Affirmative. Ackerman out." The radio was then turned off before Marito and Marlin began to respond.

"So...what now?" The former asked.

"This will be our only chance to prevent bloodshed. We have to cooperate with the "United Forces of Earth"...whatever those guys are, and explain to them our problem."

"But I still don't like what's going on right now." Salter followed. "If the Moon was reduced to rubble, it looks like something's up."

"Affirmative. We thought of the same thing." He then began to turn on the speakers to inform the rest of the crew. "This is Captain Ackerman, I am here to inform that we are going to be boarded by soldiers of the so-called United Forces of Earth. I request that all of you cooperate with them and hold fire until further orders are relayed. I repeat… I request all personnel to cooperate with the soldiers of the United Forces of Earth and hold fire until further orders are relayed. That will be all."

The crew began to disarm the _Reyes_ ' weapons systems in preparation and their firearms were being given and stored at their holsters in case of an emergency. To them, things began to turn weirder the moment the order was broadcasted and some began discussing about the situation.

"One other thing: I'm going outside to see the party." Captain Ackerman uttered. "Marito, Marlin, Yuki, keep eyes on everything."

"Yes Captain." The former responded.

"Captain Salter, I need you and your team to be ready for anything nasty. Hold fire until further notice."

"Roger that." The SCAR captain responded. "Kaizuka, Troyard, gear up."

"Yes ma'am." The men responded before following their subordinate to the starboard lift that will take them to the armory.

 **(Onboard the UFE** _ **Deucalion**_ **\- 0645 hrs.)**

Captain Magbaredge has seen numerous battles and developments since the start of the Second Earth-Mars War. Aside from leading Earth to victory and peace between the planet and the Vers Empire of Mars, she has also made allies with the latter which notably included the then-princess Asseylum Vers Allusia. Today's situation became bizarre for her as she was dealing with a ship that does not belong to either United Earth or Vers.

As the ship approached the vicinity of the _"Nick Reyes"_ , the _Deucalion_ began to stop at a safe distance and Magbaredge began to take note of the appearance of the target. While it may look futuristic, it has some design cues from seagoing vessels found on Earth's surface including the flight deck and bridge of an aircraft carrier, the hull, its number 057 on the front and right side, and CIWS systems. The most unusual observation was the right side of the hull; it featured the flags of Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They were painted beside the white-lettered name "Nick Reyes" on the right.

"What is that ship?" Magbaredge wondered as she kept on looking. A male officer came towards her.

"Captain, the boarding party is ready and are awaiting your orders." He informed.

"Very good. We are currently awaiting approval from HQ. Wait for their response."

"Yes ma'am." Almost immediately after, the female communications officer began to contact the captain.

"Captain, UFE HQ's online." She relayed the message.

"Bring them up."

"Yes ma'am." The officer then relayed the transmission to Magbaredge.

"Calling the Deucalion, this is UFE HQ. Captain Magbaredge, do you respond?" The commander began to contact.

"This is Captain Magbaredge of the Deucalion, we read you. We are currently in a stand-off with a ship claiming to be part of an organization called the United Nations Space Alliance."

"United Nations Space Alliance…?" The commander was taken aback by the description. "I thought the UN was disbanded just after the Vers Empire was formed."

"I know but it looks like we are dealing with something different. Requesting permission to board the vessel."

"Affirmative, Deucalion. You have permission to board the vessel. HQ out."

Once contact with HQ was ended, Magbaredge turned to see the male officer in order to give the boarding team the go-ahead to move out. "Tell them that the mission is a go."

"Aye, Captain." The officer left to inform the boarding party of their approved order.

 **XXXXXXX**

Captain Ackerman and six of his men went outside the ship and were waiting for the arrival of the boarding party near the flight deck. One of the soldiers became wary which made his hands shake the RPR Evo submachine gun he was holding very mildly because of the situation.

"I don't like this, sir." He expressed his fears.

"Stay positive. This is planet Earth, after all." Ackerman assured. "I'm sure we can clear this up."

"I will sir, but…it feels like our own home just became hostile to us as if we are SetDef sympathizers."

"We are not. Just calm down." It was enough to barely calm him down but he still reserved some of those fears.

Another soldier used his specialized binoculars to see the _Deucalion_ and the two approaching boarding shuttles.

"Two shuttles approaching from 12 o'clock, Captain."

"Affirmative." Ackerman maintained his composure.

The shuttles in question resemble those from the second half of the 20th century, but the design features an enlarged cargo bay extending slightly beyond the top fuselage as well as a gun on top of the flight deck. When they arrived, it stopped within 500 meters away from the _Reyes_ and it began to drop off men wearing black space suits to cover themselves using the darkness of space.

The soldiers of the UFE arrived and they began looking at Captain Ackerman and his men. "Are you the commander of this ship?" One of them asked with a British accent.

"Yes, I am." Ackerman responded.

"We request that we board this vessel for inspection."

"You may."

"Thank you for your cooperation, sir." He then began to turn to signal his men to start the process. "All units, board the vessel."

"Yes sir." Another responded as the men began to head inside with a UNSA Marine.

The captain was keeping his hopes up as the soldiers entered the vessel. Unbeknownst to the UFE, the SCAR operatives were watching the event unfold behind the bridge. Each were armed with customized EBR-800 hybrid rifles.

"They're entering the ship." Troyard reported after lowering his weapon.

"Roger that. Keep eyes on the outside." Salter reminded.

Inside the bridge, the officers remained vigilant as they monitored the entire situation both inside and outside the ship. While this was going on, an officer detected abnormal readings via his monitor.

"Huh?" He uttered and began to focus on the problem. "Uh…we have a situation here."

"What is it, Evans?" Marlin asked as he ran towards him.

"Abnormal reading at vector 8 hours 30 minutes. Checking static pressure."

The situation became the same aboard the _Deucalion_ as an officer detected the same anomaly on his monitor. "Captain, I'm detecting abnormal readings on the monitor - 3 o'clock and 15 degrees elevation."

"Huh?" Magbaredge uttered and wondered if this will play the same as the current situation with the _Reyes_. "Could it be…"

Suddenly, a burst of bluish-white energy was emitted and in unision, a large vessel featuring a slender, gourd-like shape and a gunmetal-colored exterior appeared away from the two ships. Both captains and many of the crew of each vessel turned to see the spaceship expressing their shock.

"Holy hell…!" Ackerman uttered with his arms on the front.

"This can't be…" Magbaredge followed with her body and head moved forward. "A Martian vessel?"

Salter and her superiors turned their heads to see the vessel as well.

"What the fuck is that?!" Slaine expressed his shock.

"Everyone, we have to get to our Jackals now!" Salter shouted and the team began to head inside.

Almost immediately, the ship opened fire with its cannons on both vessels. Ackerman and his remaining men rushed for cover within the vessel. The rounds hit the left side that caused damage.

"Hull damage!" Marito reported. "Front and aft...wait! Rear's taking damage!"

"Marito, order all weapons to open fire on that vessel!" Ackerman hastily shouted the order. "I want every Jackal in the air immediately!"

"Roger sir!"

Within the _Deucalion_ , Magbaredge also hastily began to order any available units to defend. The sound of the alarms wailed within the ship. "All Kataphrakt platoons, engage the enemy vessel at once!"

Within the _Reyes_ , the alarms were sounded as men and women went to their posts to engage the unknown vessel. The guns began to roar to life as a mixture of ballistic and energy weaponry were employed for the battle. At the hangar, the crewmembers began to supply the Jackals with ammunition, missiles, and fuel. For every few seconds being passed, the ship mildly vibrated due to the damage coming from the explosions of the rounds fired from the enemy vessel.

Salter and her men arrived at the hangar. A middle-aged black man acting as the ship's flight deck officer rushed to the pilots.

"SCARs, your Jackals are ready with a full payload! The rest will follow." He reported.

"Roger that Boss." Salter thanked him for the timely preparations. "Thanks for the prep."

"My pleasure, Captain." He then turned to attend to his fellow crewmen before sprinting to resolve a few issues. "Get those Jacks lined up! We don't have much time!"

The group arrived at their Jackas which were already at the entrance to the launch bays. Both operatives board their aircraft and they closed the canopies. They were then moved to the first compartment to equalize pressure with the outside.

Salter maintained contact with the bridge for updates. "Marito, any update from the outside?"

"We have multiple radar returns incoming. Shit - they must have launched their forces already!" Marito cursed as he watched.

"Hang on, we'll take care of it." A few seconds later, the doors of each launch bay were opened and they approached the starting point. "SCARs, prep for launch!"

"Roger!" Troyard responded.

"Copy that, ma'am." Kaizuka followed.

"SCARs, clear to proceed!" The operator radioed them as the three Jackals opened their throttles for launch vector. The engines began to emit bluish-white exhaust flames from the back and they were getting intense as they reached the level for a quick take-off. Then, the doors leading to the outside were opened. "Launch in 3, 2, 1...!"

"Launch!" The Jackals were released from their holdings and they instantly moved fast through the bays. When they reached open space, their variable wings were extended and immediately after, they activated their fire-control systems. The aircraft's 30mm Gren were used for this mission.

"Enemy vessel dead ahead. SCARs, watch out for their escorts." Salter warned. "Break formation!"

As they approach the vessel, multiple spacecraft of unique design were approaching them that have four small wings on each side of the vehicles. They also opened fire using energy weapons.

"Watch out for enemy fire!" Slaine shouted.

Then, a transmission came. "UNSA forces, come in - this is Captain Amari of the UFE's Stingray Platoon. We'll assist you in anyway possible. ETA 60 seconds."

"This is Captain Salter of the Special Combat Air Recon, affirmative. Glad to be joining the fight." The captain express some relief due to their assistance. She turned right immediately after.

Kaizuka tried to examine the maneuvers of his target and felt surprised by its performance. "They almost perform like the Skelters back home." He made a comparison between it and the SDF's main aerospacecraft.

"Damn right, they are!" Slaine responded. "They just made me twist my aim and my stick."

"Change the fire angle and maintain some distance. Leading might be a bit easier." A few moments after, he made his targeting reticle lead the target. "Firing!" A burst from his main weapon was fired and the bullets scored light damage. "Enemy hit."

"Raider 1-3, enemy at your six!" His fellow colleague shouted which made Kaizuka turn his head towards the back. An enemy aircraft was behind him.

"Evading!" He let his current target leave and proceeded to turn hard left to shake his pursuer off. His stick shook with every hard maneuver being performed. "Requesting assistance, over."

"I see him." Slaine armed his missiles before attempting to acquire a lock. "Fox 2!" The missile was launched towards the unknown enemy and began to make a dive. Turning hard right after, the missile lost its lock and missed as a result. "Dammit...switching to guns!"

The guns were fired at the pursuer in a moderate burst. It exploded after taking damage. "Hostile down!"

"Thanks Raider 1-2. I owe you one." Kaizuka thanked Slaine for his effort. Though the former cannot see him, the latter nodded.

Suddenly, explosions appeared which caused damage to the enemy spacecraft. A significant number of them were destroyed following the event. At that point, a squad of humanoid-looking machines appeared in front of the SCAR team's eyes. They featured a olive-green paint scheme and have rifles as their main weapons. The most distinguishable feature were their size as they dwarf the C12 battle tanks at the UNSA's disposal.

Salter cannot contain her surprise as she saw those machines. "What the heck are those?"

"Ma'am, those are mechs...real ones." Kaizuka told the answer. Almost immediately after, another radio transmission was received. "Come in."

"SCARs, what do you think of our KG-7s?" Amari made a question about their main weapons of war.

"Are those your vehicles, Amari?" Salter asked.

"Yes ma'am, those are our vehicles."

"Great - we could use all the help we can get."

Another radio transmission, this time from the UNSA, was picked up. "This is Lieutenant Chang of the 141st Fighter Squadron, we are approching your position. How copy, over?"

"Solid copy, 141. Be advised, the green mechs are our allies. Do not engage them."

"141 copy."

The squadron of Jackals moved into attack formation with their weapons armed. Chang kept eyes on the battle with caution despite being near their own planet's orbit. Upon approaching the battle, the enemy spacecraft and UEF mechs were locked in a full-blown dogfight. As well, the appearances of both vehicles surprised his squadron.

"Am I dreaming or did this place manage to get anime mechs to reality early?" He asked himself which, for a moment, lose his focus as enemy fire grazed his aircraft. "Shit, that's close! All units, engage!"

The Jackals broke formation to engage the enemy. A hail of metal filled the area of operation as they maneuvered hard to evade. The _Reyes_ and the _Deucalion_ began to close in on the enemy vessel for a chance to destroy it, as well as to cover their units.

"Enemy formation approaching from 9 o'clock!" A UNSA operator confirmed.

"I need a sitrep on the battle." Ackerman requested after entering the bridge.

"The Deucalion and her units are heping us keeping the enemy at bay for now, sir." Yuki informed. "What's the plan, Captain?"

"We have to keep our strength going. That's the only thing we can do for now." This was all he could say. Then, Flash came forward with some info.

"Sir, Captain Magbaredge is on the line. She requested your presence." He informed.

"Roger that, I'm moving." The man approached the screen where the brief discussion would be held. "Bring her up."

"Bridge is sealed." Then, the screen displayed the term "incoming transmission" as a successful connection was made. "Magbaredge, you gotta have something useful we could use."

"I have, Captain Ackerman." Magbaredge responded. "What we are dealing is a ship that has capabilities beyond what Earth has ever developed. It was built by Martians."

The explanation surprised every personnel within the bridge. Bringing up the term has opened the wounds of a few as result of military operations conducted by the SDF. However, because they were in a different dimension, it raised more questions than answers.

"Martians?!" Marito uttered with some contempt.

"Why Martians?" Ackerman asked. "Is it an alien invasion?"

"It's more complicated than that; they were descendants of the people of Earth after a groundbreaking discovery on the Moon, a type of device used for instant travel between it and Mars. Eventually, humanity reached and colonized it as their second home...but things turned different. In it, a nation called the Vers Empire was formed."

"Holy crap." Ackerman later realized that the background of this entity distracted him. "Anyway, we have Marines and special forces on stand-by, ready to board and commandeer the vessel."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Captain Ackerman." Magbaredge informed. "The technology of the enemy vessel will make it impossible for your forces to commandeer. It requires someone with knowledge of the vessel and a special power in order to stop it."

"Who do you think would do that?" The _Reyes_ ' captain pressed for more information.

"Captain, we don't have time for that. I recommend we concentrate fire on the vessel."

"Solid copy, Magbaredge. Be careful."

"You too, Ackerman." The transmission ended.

Marlin came forward with an idea." What about the railgun, sir? Should we use it?"

Ackerman pondered for a moment in regards to the weapon. If the weapon were to be used, it would use some considerable amount of energy, and without any knowledge of specialized repair yards in thr local dimension, a damaged component would render the railgun impossible for future use.

With little haste, he made his decision. "We need that weapon online immediately. We can't afford losing many of our soldiers."

"Right away, sir." Yuki nodded.

 **XXXXXXX**

Outside, the dogfight remained intense. The mechs and fighters crowded an area between the enemy and allied vessels. The Jackals maintained their speed as they try to avoid one attack after another.

One of the fighters sustained damage after an enemy fighter fired energy bolts at it. "I'm hit, I can-" His fighter exploded.

"1-7s down!" Chang shouted.

A transmission from the _Reyes_ was broadcasted for the UNSA vessels. "This is Captain Ackerman of the Reyes. Be advised, we're going to fire the railgun on the enemy vessel. You need to get your aircraft and the UEF mechs out of here and provide support to our vessels."

"Roger that, Captain. ETA to firing?" Salter requested.

"ETA 2 mikes." The estimated time was posted. "Sending projected firing angle and radius to your HUDs."

"Solid copy, sir." Slaine radioed back.

"Captain Amari, try to get your units away from the vessel and protect our ships. We'll open fire on the enemy vessel with a railgun." The SCAR captain informed.

"You have a railgun?" Amari expressed his surprise.

"Affirmative. We'll transmit the firing angle and raidius for you to get a heads-up."

"Roger that, Captain. Amari out."

Inside the ship, the safety systems for the railgun were gradually turned off. Before that, those in charge of the weapon received their firing coordinates.

"Second safety, turning off." One operator uttered out.

"Charging railgun, 15 percent!" Another relayed.

The gun at the front of the hull began to emit visible electromagnetic fields that act as a stabilizing agent for a focused beam to come out. The Jackals arrived within the vicinity of the _Reyes_ to protect the weapon until it can achieve successful firing.

"All units, we're going to protect the Reyes at all costs. Without it, we're probably done for." Chang ordered his fellow pilots. "Clear?"

"Clear!" The pilots of the 141 shouted in unison.

The enemy spacecraft began to approach the _Reyes_.

"Here they come." Salter declared. "Weapons free, weapons free!"

"Stingray Platoon, engage!" Amari shouted.

The battle to defend the ship began. The aid of the ship's close-in weapons systems provided some relief for the allied forces. Despite that, flying near the ship could be risky as the fast pace of the fighters tried to shake the aim of the defensive weapons. As a result, stray shells forced the defenders and attackers to keep their guard up.

One of the alien fighters took out the second portside AA gun. "Second port AA gun disabled, sir!" An officer shouted.

"Just keep firing, pray that our Jacks won't get hit!" Ackerman loudly shouted.

Another fighter began its approach to the gun at the right side. Suddenly Troyard opened fire at the enemy, which caused it to veer away from the gun left due to combat damage and it crashed on top of the front hull.

"Enemy down!" He confirmed. "Moving to next bandit!"

"One mike!" Kaizuka shouted the progress of the gun. From that point the gun was halfway finished from being fully charged, evident by the increasing intensity of the fields.

"Hold on a little longer!"

The number of enemy starfighters began to dwindle to the point that a sustained offensive cannot be sustained. The enemy vessel began its approach towards the _Reyes_ in an attempt to finish it off. Ackerman and a few of the crew took notice of the attempted combat maneuver.

"Right full thrust!" Ackerman shouted the order.

"But sir, we might-" Marito tried to warn.

"I know!"

"Aye aye, sir!" The _Reyes_ began to head right in an attempt to avoid the maneuver. The gun began to power down as a result of the command to transfer some of the energy towards the thrusters. Some of the pilots took notice of the procedure.

"Captain Ackerman, what the hell's going on?" Salter asked while performing hard maneuvers.

"We're opening fire now! Clear the firing area!" Ackerman shouted.

"All allies, clear the gun! We're opening fire!" She shouted to the UFE mechs.

"I copy, Captain!" Amari complied before beginning to relay the order. "All Stingray members near the Reyes, clear the railgun now!"

The allied forces began to clear the projected firing angle as the railgun continued tracking the target.

"Sir, railgun's at 82 percent capacity!"

"FIRE!" Ackerman shouted.

The order was given and the reduced beam coming from the weapon appeared instantaneously. The enemy vessel was bombarded by concentrated energy as it slowly tear through the port side. Explosions erupted as a result of the rupture of several important systems. The guns began to fall silent before the railgun stopped firing.

The ship suffered a big tear on the aformentioned side. It became a sitting duck ripe for the picking of the combined forces.

"Did we get it?" Chang took a look at the ship.

"Let's finish it off, just to be safe." Kaizuka suggested. "Captain, request permission to finish off the vessel."

"Affirmative, Kaizuka. Let's do this." Salter agreed. She began to open communications. "All units, concentrate fire on the enemy vessel."

Within the ship, Yuki watched as the fighters began their final push. She turned her head to see the captain.

"Cap, should we join them?" She asked.

"We have to." Ackerman nodded his head. "All hands, switch to conventional fire. Concentrate fire on the enemy vessel."

The _Reyes_ began to open fire on the enemy vessel. Within the _Deucalion_ , Magbaredge watched it unfold.

"Captain, they're moving in to finish the vessel." A UFE officer reported.

"All guns, fire at will!" The captain shouted.

The order hammered the final nail on the enemy vessel's coffin. The combined forces concentrated their fire on the alien ship as more explosions began to tear it apart. Every panel was violently ripped off due to the explosions. The "tail" of the ship was even broken apart.

Then, a lucky shot caused an explosion within the ammunition racks. The ship was broken up into two main sections as they float away from each other.

"Hell yeah!" Troyard shouted in defiant victory.

"Good effect on target, everyone!" Salter echoed the atmosphere.

Cheering erupted within the radios as the effort to defend was worth their time and the ammunition spent. On the bridges of both vessels, a sigh of relief was made. Ackerma let out a slight smile, but Yuki's was more focused.

The captain of the _Reyes_ began to head for communications to send a message. "Get everyone on the line, Flash."

"Yes sir!" He complied.

The frequency was transmitted. "This is Captain Jose Ackerman of the UNSA Nick Reyes… To all those that survived, we thank you for your bravery. We might not be in our own home right now but we managed to defend another. However, we must keep our guards up. And to those serving the Reyes, we might be heading for a breakthrough to get home."

Then, a transmission of the _Deucalion_ was received. "Sir, from the Deucalion."

"Bring her up." Ackerman cleared.

Magbaredge began to speak. "Captain, I want to thank you for your help. Guess that clears our doubts about your forces."

"Our pleasure, Magbaredge. It's the least that we can do."

"And, not to surprise you, but I would like to visit your ship." She requested.

"You are welcome to come, Captain." Ackerman agreed.

"Thank you for your permission. Magbaredge out." The transmission ended on a positive note.

Ackerma began to return to the windows to see the aftermath of the battle. Then, Marlin came with a tablet on hand.

"Captain, we managed to get some UHF negative energy readings from the enemy ship that exited from their jump." He informed. "We made a comparison between it and the moment we entered this dimension. We believe this could be the source of the bug."

"Let me see." Ackerman received the tablet and began to read the contents. A few moments in, he felt surprised. "Oh my…this isn't real."

"Whatever it is, sir, we are dealing with something beyond what our Earth and the SDF can do."

Ackerman returned the tablet. "Then, it looks like we have to stay here for a while. Get me the SCARs here upon their return." He requested.

 **(0756 hrs.)**

Several minutes after the battle ended, most of the Jackals and the UFE mechs returned to their respective ships to receive repairs due to combat damage. The on-board weapons systems were remained on and those that were damaged began to receive diagnostics with the use of on-board computers and maintenance crews outside the ship.

The shuttle that was carrying Captain Magbaredge approached the _Reyes_ much closer than the ones during the tense encounter. Guided by two UNSA Marines, she entered the ship by passing through the airlock.

"You may take off the helmet. It's pressurized." One of the Marines allowed her. She took off the helmet.

The captain felt a different atmosphere. Instead of the usual feeling within the _Deucalion_ , the one within the _Reyes_ was much closer to that of a seagoing vessel. The interior has elements of such as she walked through and saw more of it.

The next thing she saw was the hangar. The black aerospacecrafts of the ship were being serviced with a mixed crew of robots and humans. She stared at for a short while before the Marines guided her to a nearby lift.

"Right this way, ma'am." He directed Magbaredge to the lift. Once the desired level was pressed, the safety barriers were quickly deployed and she was sent up to the highest level, the bridge deck.

Upon stepping foot, she noticed the ship's crest. It was hexagonal in shape, decorated in blue background with a white globe surrounded by five white stars, the overall white shape of the front and aft sections of the ship while having a sword pointed upwards, wings symbolizing her resovle to protect, and a yellow-and-red half-arches to form a dome. As well, "NICK REYES" was written on the top while the words, "NO FEAR, NO RETREAT," decorated the bottom.

The Marines took notice of her brief pause. "This ship is special, Captain Magbaredge. Currently the only ship of her class with two more on the way back in our Earth."

"That would explain the railgun, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you for the expnation. I shall be on my way." She nodded.

They approached the door leading to the bridge. The Marines opened it by pulling the lever down and gently pushed it. When she entered, everyone within the bridge took notice of her arrival. Ackerman, Salter, Troyard, Marito, Marlin, and the Kaizuka siblings formed a straight line.

"Captain Magbaredge's on the bridge!" He introduced her with a subtly loud voice. Ackerman approached her for a meeting face-to-face.

"You must be the captain of the Deucalion, correct?" Ackerman asked.

"I am, Captain." Magbaredge offered a handshake to which he agreed. "It's nice to see you in the flesh."

"Hehe...after that tense encounter." The words allowed the event to be overlooked.

"Anyway I was, and still am, surprised about your ship and her capabilities." She expressed her opinion. "The energy weapons and the railgun that you have at your disposal."

"Well, we stole much-needed research data from a hostile entity back in our dimension. They came from Mars as well."

"You said Mars, correct?" Magbaredge was surprised.

"Affirmative. Called themselves the Settlement Defense Front...descendants of colonists from our planet. They tried to invade our Earth once but they failed. In return, we managed to steal some of their fancy toys."

"So how did the Settlement Defense Front went to war against your Earth?" The two began to walk further within the bridge.

"Basically, they think that we are just a bunch of lazy fat-asses taking advantage of everything we own. They weren't exactly wrong, to be honest. Thanks to that and some incompetence from our politicians and military leaders, our defense lines became easy to break in...for a while. It wasn't until we managed to get our act together and gather enough intelligence that we started to successfully fight back and cripple SDF operations. It was short and costly, but we knew that we can do better."

"That reminds me of here as well, Captain. Fought a recent war with the Martians for some of the same reasons." Magbaredge then took notice of the Kaizuka siblings, Troyard, and Marito. "Welll, well...if I'm not surprised."

"Huh?" They uttered as if she knew them.

"You have people like them, Captain Magbaredge?" Salter asked her.

"I knew a few with the last names Kaizuka, Troyard, and Marito."

"Then, I'll be surprised to see them if I can." The SCAR leader approached the captain for formal greetings. "Captain Nora Salter of the UNSA's Special Combat Air Recon. We're a special forces unit."

"Pleasure to meet you, Salter. I'm Darzana Magbaredge, Captain of the Deucalion." The two women exchanged handshake. Magbaredge turned her head to see the others.

"First Lieutenant Slaine Troyard, ma'am." The Swiss operative saluted in response.

"Second Lieutenant Inaho Kaizuka." The Japanese followed before pointing at Yuki. "That's my older sister, Yuki."

"Hi there, ma'am." A causal greeting was made by her.

"Lieutenant Mateo Torres, ma'am." The navigator introduced.

"And I'm Lieutenant Koichiro Marito. We guys operate as the navigators of the ship." The Japanese officer finished. Magbaredge nodded in response.

"I already briefed them about our talk regarding the Martians here. They were surprised when I first told them." Ackerman updated.

"Let me fill in the blanks for everyone…" She began to explain to them about the Martians. "As told by your captain, the Moon over there used to house alien technology called a Hyper Gate that permits instant travel between Earth and Mars. With that, those that chose to break away from Earth called themselves the Vers Empire. The next set of information will surprise you."

"Can you tell us?" Kaizuka asked.

"I will. Mars once housed an alien civilization and as such, their technology was light years ahead of Earth." The information surprised the men and women.

"I do not fucking believe it." Torres' eyes were wide open.

"However, due to the loss of the magnetosphere, the atmosphere was stripped away and thus this civilization disappeared as a result of direct solar wind." Kaizuka provided some information.

"That's correct, Kaizuka. The Vers Empire mitigated this by going underground, but it caused tensions between Earth and Mars due to the former having an atmosphere, an abundance of water, plants, and animals. That's what caused the following wars to take place." Magbaredge began to walk near the windows. "Our Earth had two wars with them; once at the end of the 20th century and the other as recent as 2014. Our Moon was destroyed in 1999 as a result of both fierce fighting and the overloading of the Hyper Gate. The Martians that were stranded decided to stay in orbit above Earth."

The crew felt some of the sorrow coming from the words. "I don't get it." Troyard uttered.

"You'll know more as we move on, Troyard. But there is something about the last war that finally brought us here - a person by the name of Asseylum Vers Allusia sought peace between the two planets, hoping that another war would never take place again. But there are a few people who did not want that to happen, so they tried to kill her."

"Damn bastards." Salter cursed. "What was she, Captain?"

"A princess at the time. Mars ruled on a monarchy and continues to do so as of today. Thankfully, she achieved that long-sought peace after two years of fighting."

"Two years of fighting?" The two male operatives reacted subtly.

"I won't tell much information about what happened, but one thing I can tell is that she is alive as the empress of Mars. Her ship is in orbit for a while now." She began to walk away from the windows. "I'll try to arrange a meeting with her. For now, I need permission from the UFE."

"You may. Just lead us there." Ackerman responded with gratitude.

 **(0918 hrs.)**

The _Reyes_ and the _Deucalion_ began their approach to the spaceship. The ship was exactly similar in design to the one that was destroyed early on, with the only difference being a ligher shade of grey.

"Steady as she goes." Ackerman said.

"Aye aye, sir." Marlin responded promptly.

Within communications, the officers began to change their frequency to that of the ship. A few minutes after, they picked up a transmission.

"Sir, ma'am!" Incoming transmission!" Flash shouted.

"Bring it up." Ackerman responded. The transmission was then opened.

"Attention to unidentified ship, identify yourself." The one at the other end of the line requested in English. Ackerman and Magbaredge approached the microphone.

"This is Captain Darzana Magbaredge of the Deucalion. I am onboard the vessel called the UNSA Nick Reyes and we request a meeting with the Royal Family." Magbaredge relayed the request.

"Roger that. We have your request. Stand by."

The time became right for this opportunity. "Alright, let's head for the Raven. Marito, Marlin, Kaizuka...keep tabs on the ship and update us if there are any changes." Ackerman ordered.

"Yes, sir." Yuki responded.

"SCARs, follow me."

"You heard him, gentlemen." Salter echoed.

The two began to approach the lift. After the barriers were deployed, it was lowered to the hangar, or the Flight Deck as it was called. The flight deck officer approached the group.

"Captain, the Raven's ready to go when you are." Boss informed. "Be advised, Sonic's taking the controls."

"How's he doing, Boss?" Ackerman asked.

"He's okay. Just got some bruises but he insists that he can still fly." He let out a mirth.

The captain chuckled. "Tell him that he has good spirits."

"I will, sir. He'll be proud." He began to walk towards the assigned transport. "Right this way."

Magbaredge began to get a much-deeper look into their operations. "Can you explain what are those craft?"

"Those are Jackals. They're our primary air-and-space superiority fighters." Troyard explained before pointing at the Ravens. "And those are the Ravens, assigned to transport men and other equipment such as vehicles."

"If we had those, we could be a bit safer."

"You would someday." Salter complemented.

The group entered the dropship and they took their seats. With the help of ground personnel, Magbaredge was instructed on how to properly sit. Salter took the controls on the right seat to act as co-pilot. The Raven began the procedures by passing through the airlock.

"All systems green, opening frequency." Sonic did a pre-flight checklist.

After passing through the airlock, it was lifted by crane to be released outside.

"Boost in 3, 2, 1." The crane let go of its grip of the Raven before the latter began to open its thrust. The journey to the ship became easy, if not unusual. "Good separation." Salter began to contact the bridge. "Reyes, this is Ocelot 1-1. We're moving in."

As it continued, the three ships remained quiet while maintaining communications. The crew of the _Reyes_ were the most weary due to the then-tense relationship between their Earth and Mars.

"Kaizuka, still worried?" Marito asked.

"Yeah. After today, I don't know what I should do." Yuki felt worried. She began to pray. _"Brother, be careful."_

"Well...since they ain't firing, at least we have some breathing room to use."

Two of the Martian ship's fighter featuring the same design as the hostile ones approached the Raven. They were assigned to act as a guide to the hangar.

"Ocelot 1-1, this is Guardsman 5. We will escort your ship to the hangar." One of the pilots informed. The friendly attitude calmed the UNSA pilots.

"Solid copy." Salter complied. "Lead the way."

For two minutes, the two fighters flew close to the ship while leading the Raven. After approaching one, the vessels entered the entrance.

The experience of seeing the interior of the ship for the first time intrigued the UNSA representatives. A sci-fi feel was mixed in with the elegant construction, making the large section feel like a luxurious place to step foot on. The only things that were more normal were the yellow cranes and a shuttle on the right.

 **XXXXXXX**

Empress Asseylum, her haindmaiden Eddelrittuo, and Emperor Klancain waited at the landing area as the Raven began her descent. When they heard the news about the recent engagement with the unidentified ship and the actions of the _Nick Reyes_ , the empress longed for a meeting with the captain. As well, the appearance of the ship intrigued them.

A marshaller guided the transport to safely touch down. Once complete, the whinning of the engines gradually died down before the sliding door on the right was opened. Out came Captain Magbaredge as she began to meet the Royal Family.

"Captain Magbaredge, thank goodness to see you." Asseylum greeted as she walked towards Magbaredge. "We heard about what happened and we were worried about it."

"You don't have to worry, Your Majesty." The captain assured her. "We managed to take care of the problem. As well, we have a few people."

"You mean the ship's captain?"

"Not just the captain…" Ackerman, Kaizuka, and Troyard got out of the Raven.

To Asseylum's shock, she instantly recognized the two SCAR operatives based on their hair color, eyes, and facial features, and she rushed up close. The male operatives widened their eyes as the Empress approached them.

"...Inaho? Slaine?" She quietly called out their names.

"Huh?" They uttered.

 _A/N: The long awaited chapter 2 is here. It took a while thanks to_ Titanfall _._


End file.
